


A Week In Hateno

by sacredsymbol821



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, I think this is my first non DA/FE work ever tbqh, This is my first Zelink work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23273818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sacredsymbol821/pseuds/sacredsymbol821
Summary: Zelda is amazed at how quickly Link seems to have settled into life at Hateno Village.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 83





	A Week In Hateno

Link had been nervous to show her the house, at first. She had pretended not to notice it. Ever since Ganon had been defeated, she realized how much she could tell about him. She didn’t even think this was odd, until Bolson had remarked how well she seemed to know him. Zelda did not know how to react to that, just brushing it off with the most royal smile she could muster. It was enough for her to think that this was normal for her. After 100 years fighting Ganon by herself, waiting for Link to help her, she wasn’t sure what normal was, and that was part of the problem. Her normal had been struggling to get powers that she should have had access to, then being jealous towards him and unfairly taking out these feelings on him, to then becoming fast friends with him. Were they still friends, she wondered. Did friends show each other their houses? Did friends let the other one live in their house?

Link finished whatever discussion he was having with Boulson and the younger construction worker, then allowed her to walk in front of him before following her from behind, like they had done when they had first met. She had been much angrier with him then. When they were well away from the village of Hateno, she finally got to look at the house. It wasn’t anything like Hyrule Castle- and that wasn’t a bad thing. The simplicity of it allowed her to exhale for the first time in a while. She realized he was waiting for her, his eyes darting from her to the door with his arms at his sides.

That meant that he wanted her to open up the door, or say something about the house. He almost looked desperate, like that time when she tried to jokingly feed him the frog all that time ago.

“This is yours?” She asked. He nodded vigorously.

“It is very beautiful, Link.” She told him.

He blinked several times, frowned, then smiled before nearly pulling the door off it’s lodgings, causing her to wince.

She followed him in, and looked around. There were weapons on the wall. She could have sworn that she knew them, especially the Zora Lance near the stairs, but she was not about to ask about weapons, as she imagined he was sick of hearing about them. Her eyes turned towards the table just before the stairs. It was clean, meaning he did not eat much here, and his counter was just as pristine.

“How often do you eat here?” She asked him. He closed the door behind them before looking at her for a second and frowning, thinking as he gathered his thoughts. She had used to think his silence was obnoxious when they had first met, but now she knew he did that because he was trying to gather his thoughts into a coherent manner, especially when asked a question that did not have a two or three word answer.

“It…uh…depends. I’d take breaks, but I was so focused on saving you that I uh… would usually eat out while adventuring.” He answered. That was a meaty sentence for him, so he stopped and quietly went to the counter to start preparing dinner.

“Link.” She began, causing him to stop and turn towards her.

“What are you making?” She asked.

“Dinner.” He answered, as if it was obvious.

“Do you need help?” She asked. There was a mischievous glint to his eye when she said that, but it was quickly replaced by sincerity. He shook his head, and went to cooking. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself, then. She quietly ascended the stairs, not knowing what to expect. What she found was a bed that also did not look like it had been slept in for a while, and a few pictures. The first one was of Hyrule Castle, and that made her smile nostalgically. The second one was the champions taking a picture together, and that almost made her start crying on the spot. He did remember her, but she thought all his memories of everything else had been lost in the process. The small picture frame showed that he had not. She wondered if she had burdened him further than she had originally intended when she brought him to Purah, but she would not ask him this over dinner, as they had recently beaten the Greatest Threat to threaten Hyrule in its rich history. She put the picture down, and walked back down the stairs and sat back on the chair. He didn’t have any books in the house, and she had no idea what to do with herself. 

She began to watch him cook, and she found him chopping turnips. The way he was moving the knife was mesmerizing. He didn’t look like he was looking at them, but he was cutting them into such small pieces that should not have been possible from how fast he was going. He was slightly hunched over, and that caused her to look up a little bit to his shoulders. She had never looked at him like this. She had kept him away from her. On purpose, at first, but then started to allow him to get a little closer. However, she never had let him get in front of her if she could help it, always leading him too and from. Despite the bagginess of the Champions’ Tunic, she could see his shoulder muscles underneath it, just a little bit. She should have looked away. Yet she didn’t. Her eyes found their way down his body, as if on their own volition. How many scars did he have now? Did he still have any from before when he had basically died protecting her, or had the Shrine of Resurrection removed them, like she and Purah had theorized? Couldn’t she just ask him these questions instead of staring at him like those dumbstruck servants who lived in and around Hyrule Castle?

“Is…everything alright, Princess?” Link’s voice made her jump, as she wasn’t expecting it.

“Everything is fine, thank you!” She yelled a little too loudly, then adjusted her tone to more of an appropriate indoor voice.

“Why do you ask?”

He shrugged one shoulder at her.

“It’s just…you seem like you’re about to explode.” He told her.

“If the Sacred Power did not make me explode, I doubt that being embarrassed will make me explode.” She told him sternly. It was the wrong thing to say. His eyes softened into concern. She did not allow him to ask the obvious question.

“I just feel as though I should not be here.” She admitted. Very convenient of her to leave out the fact that she was ogling his shoulders moments earlier, truly.

He turned around to frown at her, but did not press further. A voice in the back of her head wanted him to press, but he was much too polite for that. He finished dinner, and began to set her place first, blue eyes watching her alertly the whole time. Zelda found herself very hungry, and began to eat her soup. There was nothing to be heard but the intake of soup.

" It's not much, but… I hope you enjoyed it, Princess." He admitted at the end of dinner. She said nothing, but smiled warmly at him.

Hateno's library became her haven for a few days afterward, and as she helped Purah with her work she began to miss seeing Link at her side. It was selfish of her, as the people of Hyrule needed to see him now more than ever, but she could not take that empty house by herself after years of solitude and keeping Ganon at bay. So, she busied herself with books and the Ancient Civilization that came before who had built the Guardians. Purah was telling her a story about how Link, who had not remembered at the time, was a bit dopey when her heart suddenly burned with rage. He was not dopey by any means of the word. She had never thought he was dopey. He had always had a kind heart, and rarely talked, but Zelda had never questioned his intelligence. As many times as she tried to test it, he passed with flying colors. Her brain reminded her that she still had book her open, and she snapped the book shut before leaving the library. She had not realized it was raining until the door closed, and the sheets of rain were pouring from the sky. She put her hood over her head and tried to ignore how rain made her anxious because of what had happened to Link. She raised her hand with the Sacred Power housed within it, remembering how it had activated to save him. Suddenly, the mark on her hand lit up and pulsed. She had thought it was no longer in her, but it had simply been exhausted, like her. She put it down and frowned. She hoped she'd never have to use it again.

Her eyes caught movement, and she saw Link jogging up the hill. He had finished whatever errand that had taken him all week to run, and frowned with relief and concern upon seeing her. She wondered, for a second, why he looked so frantic then realized what exactly was the matter with him.

"Link, I am so sorry. I forgot to leave a note." She admitted, and his eyes softened, before he turned his head to the side quizzically.

It was such a simple motion, but her heart stopped beating for a second.

Then, he smiled, and went searching through his pockets, causing her to startle. Out of his pocket he produced a flower, one she knew very well. It was a Silent Princess. He had somehow kept it pristine, even though he had been on the other side of Hyrule for the past week.

“It’s beautiful… Where did you find this?” She asked, barely remembering it was raining outside.

He smiled at her reaction, and let it go as her fingers grazed against his. Her eyes looked up to his subconsciously, and she caught a blush that went over his cheeks. It somehow made him even more beautiful. But she did not know why he was blushing. He pulled away. She recalled a vase in the house, idly, even through the heaviness in her heart. He would never love her. Why would he, after how she had treated him when they had first met?

She watched his blue eyes flicker with concern.

Zelda squinted in confusion at him. He smiled then.

“It’s raining. You shouldn’t be out here when it’s raining. You’ll catch a cold...Princess.” He told her quietly. His hesitation at calling her Princess made her both happy and sad. Happy, because she really wanted him to stop calling her that. Sad, because he still saw her as the Princess of a ruined Kingdom she barely saved.

“We are to go back to the house, then?” She asked.

“Only if you want.” Link shrugged.

“I would rather like that.” She admitted, and walked towards the house with Link bringing up the rear again. He closed the door behind them, and Zelda went towards the window. The rain had somehow gotten worse, which was odd for this time of year, and even if she wanted to go outside to do anything else, Link would shadow her anyway so she stared outside, watching the rain fall. She did not like letting her mind wander for multiple reasons, but as she did, all she could do was think about the boy making some type of noise behind her. It was too early for dinner so there was not any viable reason for the sudden amount of noise in her ears. She turned her head and saw him shuffling through a chest she had not seen. She walked up behind him, quietly, and saw that he was shirtless. The blush she had been fighting off came on her face in full force.

“What are you doing?” She asked not unkindly.

He looked up at her, blushed, and went back to the chest, rummaging through it even faster.

Trying to stay modest, she tried very hard not to look at his bare shoulders. She did, and saw a fresh scratch on his right shoulder, the red mark a stark contrast to the rest of his scars and bruises, which were healing or mostly healed. Before she could stop herself, she found herself reaching out to touch the scar on his shoulder. She did not realize she did so until she saw that he jumped back, a hiss coming from him.

“Link, I am so sorry. When did you get that?” She asked.

He was very bad at showing his emotions, so when she saw annoyance cross his face, she thought it was towards her at first, before realizing that he had put himself into a bad situation that forced him to talk.

“Just after I left.” He answered. That was not nearly enough for her, so she crossed her arms and took the cloth that he was rummaging in the chest for- which was a new shirt. He stood and pouted at her for that.

She pretended she did not notice how much like a lost puppy it was like and continued to glower at him.

“By what and how?” She added.

His pout became a frown.

“A Lizalfos jumped me and I fell off a cliff. I wasn’t careful enough.” He admitted, his eyes turning sad.

“We are all human, Link.” Zelda began.

He frowned at that, as if being reminded he was not immortal did not make his day better.

“Here, let me take care of that for you.” Zelda commanded.

Link opened his mouth to protest before sitting, hunched over to show his displeasure, on the nearest chair.

“Thank you.” She told him. The cut was not so bad, but she had found it while it was still fresh. She could not risk him getting an infection. Whatever the Lizalfos had hit him with, it was not allowing the cut to scab over as hard as it should have. A bit of an annoyance, but something that would not kill him. She began to make a potion to put on the cut, doing her best to not let her gaze linger on Link's skin and muscle. Her face was hot enough as it was.

"How did you deal with injuries while I was in the castle?" She asked to fill the air.

"Rest." He answered, and she saw him trying to look backwards at his shoulder.

"Let me finish before you start inspecting it." She told him. She saw him pout a little, but he relaxed as much as he could. The bandage was applied, and then she let go. Her eyes glanced out the window. The rain had stopped, but it was much too late to go outside, so she was stuck with him again. The problem being stuck with him again is that old, lost feelings resurfaced.

She was quite sick of it, actually.

He stood up, stretched, and put his simple shirt on that went up to his elbows. By all accounts, it was small on him, and she could still see a little of his back when he finished putting it on.

In order to stop staring at him, she picked up one of the books she had brought from the Library. She read a few pages before her mind began to wander as Link busied himself in the Kitchen.

“Link?” She found herself asking.

He turned toward her, indicating that he was listening.

“There was no one else with you on your journey, yes?” She asked.

“No. I was alone.” He answered.

“How lonely…” She trailed off. Then, she snapped her book shut and went towards him in the kitchen. He was shocked to see her at first, then his face softened.

“Can I help you in any way?” She piped up.

“No, you’ve helped enough.” He answered.

“I cannot sit idly by anymore, Link.” She said, exasperatedly. His mouth moved, then closed, before opening again.

“You never did, though.” He replied sadly.

“Neither did you.” She retorted.

Slowly, he put down the knife and turned to face her.

“You blame yourself.” He realized, his blue eyes searing into her soul once again. She did not break eye contact with him, however.

“You do too.” Even after saving Hyrule, he was still human, and the pain in his eyes showed that.

He did not answer. He did not have too. His eyes betrayed the guilt he felt as well.

“Zelda.” He said her name, and that was enough for her eyes to widen.

“Link. You saved the world.”

“You did too.” He countered.

“Yet neither of us feel like we accomplished anything. We are well and truly hopeless.” She sighed, before looking back at him. Feelings she had buried since she had talked to the Great Deku Tree resurfaced again. He was so close, and yet so far away.

“Are all your injuries healed? Is everything alright with you?” Link asked, his hand going to the back of his neck. He only rubbed it like that when he was embarrassed.

“I did not have many injuries. I simply went up to Ganon’s castle and sealed him away.” She replied, squinting at him.

“You make that seem like it’s a walk in the park.” Link muttered.

It certainly had not felt like that. The days blurred together, but there were times when she wanted to give up, but she could not. The thought did not cross her mind until Link awoke. The exact moment Link had awoken had given her a rush of adrenaline to stand strong for a little while longer.

Link saw her silence, and went to turn away from her.

“Link?” She asked again. It was enough to make him stop.

“I am sorry if I offended you, Zelda. I didn't mean to, and I was careless with my words.” He replied, his face looking down at the floor.

“I know what you meant. I am downplaying my role in this.” She sighed.

She thought it and before she could stop it, she reached her hand out and touched his cheek. He was so surprised at the motion that he stiffened, though his eyes darted up from the ground to meet hers.

“Zelda?” He asked. While he had perfected the stoic hero face, he could not hide his curiosity at the touch. She could not help but notice that he did not shy away from the touch. The little voice inside of her brain was delighted at that, but the other was appalled at the many breaches of conduct she had just committed against her only living friend.

“I am sorry, Link. I don’t know what got into me.” She said, and finally moved her hand away.

“I didn’t mind it, P-Zelda. I liked it.” He admitted.

“Are you just saying that because you don’t want to upset me?” She asked him, forcing her eyes to meet his.

“No. I’m saying it because I enjoyed it. I love you, Zelda.” He told her.

Link was not a man who spoke much, and he always was careful in what was said and how he said it. Even so, Zelda still thought he had suffered a concussion and had been possessed when he first heard those words come out of his mouth. All thoughts of denying it were banished when she looked him in the eye and saw that he was smiling.

“Then you are very lucky I love you, as well.” She replied. She could not stop the smile from spreading on her face, as well. Both of their hands found each other.

The rain fell upon the house in Hateno but neither of them cared.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work in the LOZ fandom, and that's a shame because this is one of my favorite series of all time. This was inspired by my BOTW replay, which I played before Animal Crossing came out. It's a lot different from my other fics, and that's not a bad thing. Link was a challenge to write. I had to balance his non talkative nature in game with his dialogue choices in it. I'm posting this purely because it took me a month to complete, and we can use more Zelink in these trying times.


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